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MEGAT0N [Celluloid 02.09.11] post apocalyptic review book scifi

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Year: 2010
Writer: Michael Juge
Amazon: link
IMDB: link
Trailer: link
Review by: MEGATON
Rating: 8 out of 10

About six months ago, QuietEarther ScourgeWriter let me know about his new novel, Scourge of an Agnostic God. I immediately bought it for my Kindle, but I never got around to reading it because I really didn't know what it was about or what kind of book it was, so I never knew if it would suit my current mood.

Michael described it by saying "How would Metro Sapiens wired for instant gratification and global connectivity cope in a post-apocalyptic reality? Unwittingly living out a mordant version of the movie Groundhog Day, Intelligence Analyst Chris Jung, tormented by panic-fueled obsessive thoughts, stumbles toward suicide until a mysterious series of electromagnetic pulses (EMPs) strikes across the globe and plunges the industrialized world into darkness."

The title, and the part about Groundhog Day, combined with the book's cover, which just shows a guy on a subway train, made me think it was some kind of metaphysical or satirical take on the apocalypse. Boy, was I wrong, and Michael? You need to get a new branding consultant.


Yes, several of the characters had deep personal issues, and their own demons to confront, but the depth of their internal battles only added to the story. Seeing how they were able to succeed in their struggles only made them more real and easier to relate to.

But overall, Scourge of an Agnostic God is a straight up EMP-event post-apocalyptic novel, complete with societal collapse, starvation, plague, and normal everyday people taking up arms to protect their homes and their families from bands of invaders bent on enslaving them and taking what little they've managed to scrape together after the lights go out permanently.

I saw a lot of Dies the Fire in Scourge, and even more of One Second After, with just a sprinkle of the movie version of The Postman. It was also chock full of pop-culture jokes and references, some of them very geeky. I mean, how many times have you seen a US Marine wished "success" in Klingon before heading into battle?

I'm definitely sorry I put off reading it for so long. It's a great addition to the genre, and my favorite book of the last several months. And like I said, don't let the marketing put you off; if you're reading this, then I really do think you should read Scourge of an Agnostic God as well.

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DeDub (1 year ago) Reply

Really enjoyed the book - not too serious; good character development; legitmate circumstances gone awry. Worth the read

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Anonymous (1 year ago) Reply

First off, I never review ANYTHING. That being said, here I am writing about 'Scourge.' This is a very well written book for any caliber author and only lends itself to higher compliment for Mr. Juge as the new kid on the block. His character build up and overall description is spot on and pulls the reader close in w/o over doing it. I believe he nails the realism of how society would short-circuit if (and when) we all go south of sanity in this pre to post-apocalyptic story.

Scourge will please All that pick it up - Mr. Juge covers death, mayhem, self doubt, pity, terror, love, and inner demons with a succinct clarity that (strangely) is soul warming and provides the legitimacy of the survival instinct. I recommend the book and can't wait for the next installment. Bring it on Michael Juge!


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